The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana Vyasa, Volume 4 eBook

“Vasishtha continued, ’Hear once more,
O regenerate Rishi, as I discourse upon it, the pre-eminence
of gold, O foremost of all wielders of weapons.
I heard this formerly in the Purana, O son of Bhrigu’s
race. I represent the speech of Prajapati himself.
After the wedding was over of the illustrious and
high-souled Rudra armed with the trident, O son of
Bhrigu’s race, with the goddess who became his
spouse, on the breast of that foremost of mountains,
viz., Himavat, the illustrious and high-souled
deity wished to unite himself with the goddess.
Thereupon all the deities, penetrated with anxiety,
approached Rudra. Bending their heads with reverence
and gratifying Mahadeva and his boon giving spouse
Uma, both of whom were seated together, they addressed
Rudra, O perpetuator of Bhrigu’s race, saying,
’This union, O illustrious and sinless one,
of thine with the goddess, is a union of one endued
with penances with another of penances as severe!
Verily, it is the union, O lord, of one possessed
of very great energy with another whose energy is
scarcely less! Thou, O illustrious one, art of
energy that is irresistible. The goddess Uma,
also is possessed of energy that is equally irresistible.
The offspring that will result from a union like this,
will, without doubt, O illustrious deity, be endued
with very great might. Verily, O puissant lord,
that offspring will consume all things in the three
worlds without leaving a remnant. Do thou then,
O lord of all the universe, O thou of large eyes,
grant unto these deities prostrated before thee, a
boon from desire of benefiting the three worlds!
Do thou, O puissant one, restrain this high energy
of thine which may become the seed of offspring.
Verily, that energy is the essence of all forces in
the three worlds. Ye two, by an act of congress,
are sure to scorch the universe! The offspring
that will be born of you two will certainly be able
to afflict the deities! Neither the goddess Earth,
nor the Firmament, nor Heaven, O puissant one, nor
all of them together, will be able to bear thy energy,
we firmly believe. The entire universe is certain
to be burnt through the force of thy energy. It
behoveth thee, O puissant one, to show us favour,
O illustrious deity. That favour consists in
thy not begetting a son, O foremost of the deities,
upon the goddess Uma. Do thou, with patience,
restrain thy fiery and puissant energy!’ Unto
the deities that said so the holy Mahadeva having the
bull for his sign, O regenerate Rishi, answered, saying,
‘So be it!’ Having said so, the deity
that has the bull for his vehicle, drew up his vital
seed. From that time he came to be called by the
name, of Urdhvaretas (one that has drawn up the vital
seed). The spouse of Rudra, however, at this
endeavour of the deities to stop procreation, became
highly incensed. In consequence of her being
of the opposite sex (and, therefore, endued with little
control upon her temper) she used harsh words, thus,
’Since ye have opposed my lord in the matter